LBS Politics (LONG... sorry!)

[VeloVT]

I am the antichrist -- I just bought a bike online (not on ebay, from some shop in California called Cambria Bike that had a good deal on the one I had been eyeing on ebay). It's a Scott Contessa CR1 Pro and I'm excited.

But now politics...
1) I am going to need to get it all fit to me, probably will want to swap out the stem, etc... Would it be a horrible thing for me to go to the shop I bought my other bikes at (and bf bought his bike at)? I'd be willing to pay for a fit since I didn't buy the bike there -- but somehow I still feel like they would hate me. Would it be better to go to one of the other local shops? How about maintenance? Although I think the quality of the maintenance shop at "my" LBS runs pretty hot and cold, I feel like there's something to be said for the fact that they know me, they know my bikes, they know my bike's history, etc... I've been going there for about two years now. But is it evil for me to wheel in my shiny new ride I bought online and ask them to do work on it?

(A related question: I want to switch out the triple on my cx bike for a compact. I am not skilled enough to do the labor myself, but I'd much rather buy the parts online, because I'll get a much better deal. Ethics of this?).

2) Once I get the new bike, I will want to sell my Felt. I'm going to need a few things done (will switch back to original bars and stem, which will require new cables, etc; will probably do a full tune-up as due diligence). Do I have this done at "my" LBS or somewhere else?

3) And a totally different subject... I want to sell the bike locally rather than on ebay if I can... although I've bought and sold successfully on ebay, I'm kind of hesitant to sell a bike on ebay because a) there's always that annoying person who bids your auction way up and then backs out -- and it's a hassle to work all of that out and relist; and b) I'd be scared to death that someone would get the bike and despite my best efforts to describe it as accurately as possible, they'd find something wrong with it or different than they expected, and it would be a huge hassle. How do I go about figuring out an asking price? I haven't seen anything just like it on Ebay or Craigslist. It's a Felt F50, Ultegra drivetrain. 2004 model but probably less than 3000 miles (definitely less than 5000)... Does $500 sound too high, given the age? It's in really good shape...

Thanks for your help and sorry this is so rambling.

[mimitabby]

If you like that bike shop, take the bike there.

They'll get over it. They'd rather SOME business than none!
heck you can tell them the bike was a gift from your grandmother!

[rij73]

Congrats on going for the Scott... It's a sweet bike. I've heard really good things about Cambria Bike.

Go ahead and use your LBS. It really is just business. We are all so attached to biking here that we think of it personally all the time. There is nothing wrong with getting a good deal on last year's leftovers. Some might say it's the only smart way to shop!

As for selling on Ebay, we did it with DH's Roubaix. Worked out fantastic. Maybe it was just luck, but it was the first thing we ever sold on Ebay and the whole thing went off without a hitch. We got the price we wanted, and the guy loved the bike.

[OakLeaf]

By the time you pay for the extra labor they should charge you to install parts you bought someplace else, you won't think you've got such a great deal. Honestly, I do a little work for somebody in the motorcycle industry and sometimes get tires in lieu of payment (one of the few things we don't have the tools to install at home), and I expect to pay extra for my LBS to mount and balance them since I didn't buy them there.

Fitting is another thing. Not every shop has a highly skilled fit tech, so it's going to be common for people to bring bikes from elsewhere to LBS's that do. You're paying a set rate for the fitting because of that, and you are going to buy from them whatever parts you need as a result of the fit, right?

Fair's fair. If I'm going to buy something online, I'd better be able to install it myself. I understand perfectly about buying stuff online when I have a cr*ppy LBS, or when they're so far away from me that I don't really consider them "local." But if you have a good relationship with your LBS, why wouldn't you want them to be able to stay in business?

[rij73]

One scenario I can think of when you might do this is if you fall in love with a particular bike or brand of bike, and your LBS is just simply not a dealer of that brand. Doesn't mean you don't want them to stay in business if you buy the bike elsewhere but still use them for the fit and maintenance.

I, for example, just got it into my head that I wanted to ride a Blue RC4. It was a pretty superficial decision, but still, that was the bike I wanted. Nobody around here carries that brand at all...

[DirtDiva]

WRT buying parts online then getting the shop to fit them...
You are a regular customer of your LBS, not some random passer by. See if they'll do a price-match for whatever it is you're thinking of buying online or give you a good deal on installation if it is impossible for them to get close enough in price for the item(s). They make the sale and you get a good price.

[OakLeaf]

PS I didn't mean I thought you were the antichrist

It's just that if you're getting something from your LBS that you can't get online, then you ought to be willing to pay for it, because it's the reason that they have the overhead that they do.

I don't mean fitting, or selling you a particular make of bike, for the reasons I said before, but I do mean knowing their product line and helping their customers find what they need (as opposed to what they think they want); making sure bikes are properly set up before they leave the shop; etc. If they don't give you any more help than a big box store would, and I've been in LBS's like that, then to heck with them, but I wouldn't bring them my bike for service, either.

So many people complain about talking to tech support in India, or buying poisoned dog food from China, but don't see the connection when they choose where to make their own purchases.